Electric railway-signal



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.).

B. D. WELLS.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY SIGNAL.

No. 857,881. Patented Feb. 15,1887.

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

N, PEI'ERS. Phutolilhogmphar. wnhin mn. D.C-

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

E. D. WELLS. I

ELECTRIC RAILWAY SIGNAL. No. 357,881. Patented l 'eb. 15, 1887.

l gal a m NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD D. XVELLS, OF WESTMINSTER, MARYLAND.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY-SIGNAL;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 357,881, dated February 15, 1887. Application filed November 20, 1886. Serial No. 219.520. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.- ble signal D E F. The contacts A A are insu- Be it known that I, EDWARD D. WELLS, of lated from each other, and are never directly WVcstminster, in the county of Carroll and connected, but are terminal electrodes that 55 State of Maryland, have invented a new and transmit a current through sliding conductors useful Improvement in Electric Railway-Sig A (see Fig. 3) on the locomotive or car, nals, of which the following is a specification. which conductors connect with the magnets The object of my invention is to prevent of an alarm-bell, A".

accidents from trains running into each other, The contacts B B are spring-contacts and or from trams running into vehicles at crossnormally open, but are forced together by conro' ings. tact with some part of the train to close a cur- My invention contemplates the division of rent through one set of magnets that present a line of railroad into sections, after the manthe danger-signal. The contacts 0 G are of a ner of the block system, and providing elecsimilar character, and are forced together by trical connections and signals for each section contact with some part of the train to close a I5 whereby one train is automatically signaled current through another set of magnets, and

' and prevented from entering one section of throw offthe danger-signal from that section track until the train on that section has passed of track. off of the same. I Referring now to Fig. 2, T will describe My invention consists in the peculiar conthe peculiar arrangement of the circuits and 20 struction and arrangement of the circuit, contheir method of operation in connection with tacts, and signaling mechanism, whereby the the signaling devices. The letters AA indiabove object is accomplished, and which coneate the bell-contact A A of Fig. 1; the letters struction is equally applicable as a switch- B B, the signal-setting contacts B B of Fig. l,

signal. This construction I will now proceed and the letters 0 O the signal-removing con- 25 to describe with reference to the accompanytacts G O of Fig. 1. The letters a a, b b, and ing drawings, in whichc 0 represent the several circuit-wires of these Figure 1 is a perspective view of a track contacts, which wires connect with the batwith the signaling devices applied for trains tery X, as shown, and extend up the mast D moving in one direction. Fig. 2isadiagrarnof Fig. 1, and connect with magnets in the 30 matic view showing the arrangement of the case E, which operate the signal-arm F of the circuits and their connections to the battery danger-signal. and signaling apparatus. Fig. 3 shows the The connections are made as follows: The means for giving a signal on a bell of a train, circuit-wires (t a of the bell-contacts A A conindicating that the preceding train has not' nect through the battery with the terminal 35 passed off the section of track that is being contact'springs a a, which are normally sepentered upon by the second train; and Fig. 4 arated from each other. The circuit-wires b b is a view showing my invention applied as a of the signal-setting contacts B B connect switch-signal. through the battery with the magnet G, and I employ for each section of track three sets the circuit-wires c c of the signal-removing 0 of electrical contacts, A A, B B, and G C, in contacts 0 0 connect through the battery with connection with a visible signal, D E F, and the magnet H. These two magnet-s G and H an alarm-bell on each train. The contacts B act upon opposite sides of a segment-wheel, I, B are at the beginning of each section of track, as an armature, one pulling the segment-wheel and serve to set the danger-signal for that inone direction and the other in the reverse. '45 section. The contacts 0 G are at the end of This segment-wheel engages with its teeth a each section of track, and serve to remove the small gear-wheel, J, on the same shaft that danger-signal for that section, and the contacts bears the signal-arm F. On this same shaft A A are a little in advance of B B, and serve also there is an arm, K, which, when the signal- 00 by the automatic setting of the danger'signal arm is set horizontally to indicate danger, 50 to sound an alarm on an electric bell of the bears against one of the springs a and forces train in rear and give a preliminary warning it into contact with the other.

before the engineer comes in sight of the visi- The operation of my invention is as follows:

As shown, the danger-signal has just been set by a closure of the contacts B B, which has thrown the battery-current through magnet G, and which, acting upon the segment-armatu re, has rotated the signal-arm into a horizontal position indicating danger, and which same motion has by arm K closed the springcontacts a a". This condition of things is preserved as long as a train is in this section, and if another train should approach before the first train has left said section, as soon as the conductors A A" (see Fig. 3) of this second train strike the contacts A A the battery-current from the wires a a passes up and through the bell A on this approaching train, and by sounding an alarm calls the attention of the engineer to this fact, who afterward has this signal confirmed by the visible signal on the mast. As soon as the train passes off this section of track the contacts 0 O are brought together by the train passing, and the batterycurrent passing through magnet H throws the segment'ar'mature in the opposite direction, restoring the signal-arm to its vertical position, and thus removing the danger-signal. The same motion also throws the arm K away from springs a and allows the two springs to separate, so that even if the conductors A A of a coming train strike the contacts A A no signal is given in the bell of the train, for the reason that the battery-circuit a a is open at at a.

In locating the contacts A A B B O 0 they may be placed either in the track-bed or in any other position to be operated by the passing trains.

In Fig. 4 I show a modification of my invention as applied to switch-signaling. The contacts B B and G Gof Fig. l are merely carried to and controlled by the position of the switch-rail through a rod and sliding plate, S. When S closes contacts 0 G, the main line is continuous, and there is no danger-signal displayed. iVhen main line is open, slides closes contacts B B and the danger-signals are given just as described with reference to diagram Fig. 2.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is 1. The combination, with a battery, a signalarm, a signal-bell, and conductors A A on the car, of the contacts A A, for connection with the bell-conductors, the contacts B B and means for setting the signal, and the contacts 0 O and means for removing the signal, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination of magnets G H, segmental armature I, shaft with pinion J, signalarm F, and arm K, the contacts A A, with circuit a a and terminals a a arranged to be closed by arm K, signal-displaying contacts B B, electrically connected with magnet G, and signal-removing contacts 0 O, electrically connected with magnet H, substantially as and for the purpose described.

SAML. A. TUBMAN, SAML. H. SHIPLEY. 

